Rotary well-boring apparatus.



W. W. WILSON.

ROTARY WELL BORING APPARATUS.

APPLICATIQN FILED 1uLY161914.

1,198,803. .PatentedSepn 19,1916.

LA e a e I 5 B I s all; A I 8 I :E19 l-, lo x12 Lf 11 \\7 '17- 1x2 /XvI.

Q Q/ INVENTDR, WITNESSES:

- HIS ATTURNEN UNITED STATEs PATE oEEIcE.-

WILLIAM w. WILSON, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

ROTARY WELL-BORING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 19, 1916,

Application led July 16, 1914. Serial No. 851,363.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. WILSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of LosAngeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in RotaryWellprime mover or drive means between such 1 prime mover and the table.Various operative conditions tend to cause such rotary tops or tab-lesto become lifted or misplaced from their true Zones or'planes ofrotation, principal among which causes is the tendency of the tables toI climb upon the rotating means which are usuallyT applied beneath thetable or a portion thereof, and

consists *usually of an annular series of beveled teeth to and beneathwhich is applied a suitably driven bevel-gear. To prevent suchdisplacement or tendency toy shift and move out of proper Workingposition,-

devices or means known as holding, down means are usually employed, acommon form of which is a lmee plate or angular piece connected with thebase frame upon which the table rotates and suitably engaged with thetable, either within the central opening thereof or at the, outer rimthereof, so as to keep the table properly located in rotation, theengagement being such that rotation is not interfered with, and only avarying degree of frictional loss results.

It is the object of the present invention to provide means for operatingand holding in position a rotary table or top whereby yany tendency ofthe table to become Ishifted or misplaced will be opposedv if notaltogether eliminated; and to obviate the necessity of meansspecifically provided for holding the table down in its proper path ofrotation. With this end in view, l provide a rotary drive for the tablewhich is an underneath rather than an overhead drive, so thatanytendency of the parts of the drive upon the table to slip or creep uponthe parts of the drive which coperate` therewith will f cause aresultant tendency of the table-(to be depressed. This depression be-Ing opposed by the mounting of the table,

plane of rotation; and therefore no holding down means per se isrequired to that end. The table thus rotates'in its true zone, andproperly coperates with the string of pipe, through the .means wherebythe latter is united in rotative couple with the table, any tendency ofthe'pipe or said latter means to become jammed lin the table being thuseliminated; 'and the string of pipe being free to play verticallythrough the table as the well hole is developed;

With the above and other objects in view, and the above means asgenerally set forth jentering into the embodiment thereof, the

invention consists in the novel and useful provision, formation,construction, combi; nation and relative arrangement and associationofparts, members and features, all as hereinafter described, shown inthe drawing and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a central vertical and partly fragmentarysectional elevation through a rotary table or top of well boringapparatus and a portion of a .string of pipe, means being shown forunittative couple, and means being provided lfor rotating the table andholding it in proper working position Ain accordance with the invention;and Fig. 2 is a horizontaltransverse sectional'view of the same, takenupon theline 2-2, Fig. l, and looking inthe direction of the appendedarrows.

Corresponding parts in both the figures it results'that the tableremains in its proper lng thestring of pipe with the table in roaredesignated by the same reference characters. i

Referring with particularity to the drawing, A designates a conventionalform of rotary top or table, which is shown as mounted upon a suitablebase frame B, for rotation, suitable anti-friction devices or, rollers obeing interposed between the table and the base frame as direct supportsfor the tab-le.

D designates a portion of a length of pipe shown as extended through thecustomary central opening in the table, and E designates means unitingthe table and the portion ofthe string of plpe D in rotative couple. Itis to be understood that the borling tool or bit is rotatedby the stringof which the portlon D 1s shown, being connected with the lower end ofthe string and in the hole,l the upper portion of which latter isdesignated at F.

G designates drive means for rotating the table A, the same including amember g which is directly driven from a suitable prime mover, and amember ly upon the table with which the member g coperates.

rI`he anti-friction devices Z), in the specific form of construction andcombination and arrangement of parts and features shown in the drawing,which showing is only fragmentary and as one specific embodiment of theinvention, are confined in a suitable'raceway in the base frame B whichhas a central opening 3 communicating with the orilic'e of the hole F,and rests upon the surface of the ground. A suitable correspondingraceway is formed in the bottom of the table A. The drive means Gconsist, as to the member g, of a bevel gear 4 fixed upon one end of ashaft 5 journaled in a suitable bearing 6 supported upon the base frameB at one side thereof. The bevel gear 4 is accommodated within anannular channel 7 developed inwardly from the periphery of the table,

beveled teeth 8 being formed or provided at the bottom of said channeland in mesh with the teeth of the bevel gear 4, and constituting themember z, of the drive means G. Preferably the anti-friction devices bare disposed ina circular series extending beneath the bevel gear 4 andbevel teeth 8. The means E for uniting the table and the string inrotary couple 'may be of any preferred form, the nature of such meansbeing not concerned in the present invention; and the same are shown inthe drawing as comprising a bushing 9 disposed in the central opening inthe table and surrounding the string portion D, the same having a topange 10 overlying the upper surface of the table, and ribs or tongues 11slidably fitting suitable vertical channels or grooves in the wall ofthe central opening in the table; said bushing having also slidablelinter-locking engagement with the 'string portion D. The bushing 9 mayreadily be lifted from its place in the table, and restored to suchworking position; and the slidable connections at the tongues l1 and atthe string portion D permit the string portion `D to rise and fall asrequired in the development of the hole, which is accompanied-by descentof the boring string therein. M

The operation,method of use and advantages of the improved rotary wellboring apparatus constituting the invention will be readily understoodfrom the foregoing description, taken in connection with the ac'companying drawing and following statement: Rotation is imparted to thetable, so that it turns upon its anti-friction devices b, through thebevel gear 4 and the bevel teeth 8 which mesh therewith, such bevelteeth 8 being beneath the bevel gear. Any tendency of the teeth to slip.or creep upon the teeth lof the bevel gear will produce a loweringtendency of the table, instead of an elevating tendency, which latter isthe case when the teeth 8 or the like are provided above the bevel gear4, as at the top of the channel 7 within which the bevel gear isaccommodated. Therefore, the t'able will be more effectively forceddownwardly or held downwardly in its proper zone of rotation, upon theanti-friction devices b. It further results that no means per se arerequired to perform -this holding down function, the

necessity of such specific means vbeing entirely eliminated by theconstruction and mode of application and operation of the drive meansset forth. rlhe anti-friction devices vb, being disposed beneath thebevel teeth 8, ina circular series extending beneath the bevel gear 4,'revent any occurrence, should such be possi le, of the surface of thetable A being canted or tilted by downward pressure upon the. same asthe result of any tendency of the teeth 8 to creep upon the teeth of thebevel gear 4.V This tendency is thus most eifectually opposed andcounteracted.v Vhile such location of the anti-friction `devices, is notdeemed essential to the A practice of the invention, it is illustratedand discussed as an added operative feature or advantageous factor whichmay or may not be employed as working conditions may sug- K gest orrequire.,

rThe provision of the features of improvement set forth result inta..truer and .more proper operation and performance of the table andcooperation of the same in the drive of the boring string which isrotatively'coupled with the same; and wear of parts-and damage,breakage, sticking or obstruction at various points in and throughoutthe string and rotating means therefor are materially provided against.

It is manifest that many variations may be made in details ofvconstruction and arrangement and combination of parts, members and'features, in practising the invention, all with regard to the foregoingdescription and statement and' disclosure in the drawing, withoutdeparting from a fair interpretation of lthe invention.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I

l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In rotary well boring apparatus, a rotation-imparting table, andcommonumeans for both rotating the table and holding the same down inproper plane of rotation; said means comprising teeth upon thetabl'e anda gear above the teeth and meshing there-l with; said table teeth beingprovided within a channel extending around the table, and said gearbeing said channel.

2. In rotary well boring apparatus, a ro- 180;-

protectively disposed within tation-imparting table, and common means Intestimony whereof, I have signed my for both rotating the table andholding the name to this speciiication in the presence of 10 same downin proper plane of rotation; sid two subscribing ywitnesses.

means com risin teeth upon the table an a I. I

gear abovelthe teth and meshing therewith; WILLIAM XV' VILSON said tableteeth being provided beneath a lVitnesses:

peripheral ledge upon the table and beneath ALFRED H. DAEHLER,

which said gear is disposed. f TYCIE FULLER.

